1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ambient light sensor system for integration in a motor vehicle for sensing the ambient light and for sensing the light in the area in front of the motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Background Art
More and more sensors are being built into modern motor vehicles to sense the weather and ambient conditions in the vicinity of the motor vehicle and to regulate or control corresponding systems in the motor vehicle. Thus, for example, it is known to place sensors in the vicinity of the windshield which detect the onset of rain or possible condensation on the inside of the glass. In addition, sensors are used which detect the light incident on the motor vehicle and pass the resultant signal to a regulating unit of an air conditioner in the motor vehicle, for example. Similarly, there are sensors that detect the light in the area in front of the motor vehicle, for example in order to detect the changing light conditions when approaching a tunnel and to take appropriate actions, such as automatically switching on the light, for instance. A wide variety of sensors and arrangements in the motor vehicle are known for detecting ambient light and the light in the area in front of the motor vehicle.
Known from DE 196 30 216 A1 is a travel-situation-dependent light control unit for a motor vehicle having an ambient light sensor system, wherein the ambient light sensor system has an ambient light sensor with a wide detection cone and also has a light sensor specific to the direction of travel with a narrow detection cone aimed in the direction of travel. In this context, the ambient light sensor is composed of a multiple quadrant solar position sensor, and the travel-direction-specific light sensor is composed of a light-sensitive photovoltaic cell. The detection cone of the travel-direction-specific light sensor, which is to say the light sensor that looks forward in the direction of travel, typically has an aperture angle of approximately 20°. The aperture angle here is delimited either by an optical lens or by a perforated diaphragm or by placement of the light-sensitive photovoltaic cell at the focal point of a parabolic mirror.